Pranks of Passion
by Isannah
Summary: Edward has tried anything and everything for two years to get his neighbor, Bella to notice him. It's time to try something differen. A little fun for April Fool's Day! AH


**Hello, everyone! Happy holidays! I know I haven't been around in a while but real life has been one crazy bitch. I wrote this last year as an entry in Twilight Fanfic Advocacy's April Fools Contest but never posted it after the contest was over. I guess it's fitting for the day – just a little April Fool's fun! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

On a small quiet street in a friendly neighborhood in the town of Forks, two houses stood side by side. The yellow one with the black shudders belonged to Isabella Swan. She had purchased it with the help of a small inheritance from her grandmother shortly after she graduated college. The white one next to it with the wrap around front porch had belonged to an older couple who sold it so they could retire to Florida. When the new neighbor moved in, Bella spent the day glued to her binoculars and had been surprised to see that one of the people helping that day was someone she had known from college. Her excitement in seeing Emmett for the first time in years led to the introduction of her new neighbor, Edward Cullen.

She found him to be incredibly gorgeous with his deep green eyes and coppery colored hair, but would rather die than make her attraction known. She was way out of his league and felt lucky at the prospect of possibly becoming friends.

He, on the other hand, was immediately smitten with her. She was beautiful in that I'm-so-naturally-pretty-that-I-don't-even-know-it kind of way. If he had had his way he would have christened every room of his new house with her, on that very day. But he saw the pink that flushed to her face and knew that if he were to have any type of chance, he needed to take things slow.

Two years later, Edward was ready to tear his unruly hair out of his head. He thought it was going to be easy. The fact that she knew his good friend, Emmett was great. He was a common thread that brought Edward and his friends together with Bella and her friends. They became quite the group and got together frequently. Bella quickly became a person that he would consider a close friend. The problem was that he wanted more.

And he tried absolutely fucking everything.

He attempted to be overly helpful; mowing her yard when he was out doing his, cleaning out her gutters before winter, brushing her car off on the rare occasions they had snow. He tried to be a little on the needy side. He knocked on her door to borrow a scoop or two of coffee, asked her to show him how to use a crock pot even though he already knew how, and accepted every single invitation she offered. He even took a crack at being obviously flirtatious. He had given her his best panty-dropping smile more than once, dished out random touches and caresses like they were going out of style, and was more than happy to water the front lawn shirtless just for her benefit. He even tried to just point blank ask her out on several occasions, but she always just assumed he was implying a group thing. More than once he thought he was going to get her alone only to find all of their friends showing up. Despite all of his efforts, he kept striking out with the beautiful Bella Swan.

At least that's what he thought. Little did he know, she was dying to round the bases with him as many times as possible. He was so sexy and she lived for the days she could watch him putter in his yard with nothing on but a pair of low-slung athletic shorts. But aside from that, he was just an all around good guy. Adorably attentive and generously affectionate. But she just couldn't see how a guy like Edward would want a girl like her. They were friends and friends were safe. She didn't want nor need a reason to feel awkward around him. As it was now, they were completely comfortable with each other, even when he pissed her off. It wasn't often, but there had been a few times when Edward had done something that irked her to no end. She may have been shy but Bella was no push over. She had no problem putting Edward in his place, but it was in those moments she felt the most vulnerable.

Because fighting with him made her so fucking horny.

It took him awhile to figure it out, but Edward eventually did. He had seen the flush in her cheeks and the lust in her eyes as she berated him for stealing her morning paper for the umpteenth time. He always went to work before she did and didn't see the harm in reading it and putting it back on her front step before she even woke up. Unfortunately more than once he forgot and Bella was left without a paper. One day he remembered as he was pulling out of the driveway causing him to curse loudly before pulling back in. He rushed into the house to retrieve the mess of unfolded newspaper sections so he could put it back on her step. He hadn't even had a chance to drop it when the door flew open and she realized just what had been going on for awhile.

Yeah, that had not gone over well. At all.

As she lectured Edward with one of her arms clutching her robe closed and the other holding the unfolded and well read newspaper, her eyes glinted with anger, aggression, and a flash of desire. The air crackled around them like a magnetic force field trying to bring them together. He saw the way she slightly clenched her legs together and for one moment he thought he might just go ahead and fuck her up against the side of her pretty yellow house. But the realization of what he wanted to do scared the shit out of him and instead of following through, he just sheepishly smiled at her and promised not to do it again. That genuine remorse and disarming smile took all the air out of her passion filled sails, reminding her that he was indeed just a friend and way too perfect for her. She had accepted his apology and returned to her house. Going straight to the shower she tried to wash whatever the hell that was down the drain.

That day lingered in Edward's mind as he tried to figure out if Bella did indeed feel something for him. He had exhausted every traditional way to make her notice him and was fresh out of ideas. But the more he thought about the way she looked at him every time he managed to piss her off, the more he wanted to piss her off. That thought alone was ridiculous in itself, but he couldn't help feel he was on to something. He began scheming and more than once he contemplated the possible consequences of this new convoluted plan, but in the end he decided he was going to go through with it. He was going to get Isabella Swan by making her so mad at him she wouldn't be able to help herself from jumping his bones in the most delicious way.

What did he have to lose?

Truth was, a lot. He could lose her friendship and end up with nothing but a neighbor that hated his guts. It was risky, but could be totally worth it. The idea of holding Bella in his arms, loving her, taking care of her, making sure she was happy day in and day out was too tempting. It outweighed the risks and after two years, he needed to take a chance. April Fool's Day was right around the corner and would provide just the opportunity Edward needed. He could irritate her all day long and at the end if his plan didn't work, maybe she would forgive him because the day had called for trickery. He started planning the day that he hoped would turn out to be the one that Bella would finally realize how good they could be together. He worked every last detail and enlisted the help of a couple of friends.

Two weeks later, it was on.

April 1st was a Saturday. Normally Bella started off the day sleeping in as long as she wanted. Once she was up, she spent the day indulging in the things she wanted to do, not had to do. Unfortunately, for Bella, this was not going to be her normal Saturday.

"GOOD MORNING, SEATTLE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US SO EARLY ON A SATUDAY MORNING. IF YOU'RE UP AT 6:15 THEN HOPEFULLY IT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T GONE TO BED YET…"

The alarm clock was enough to make Bella jump out of bed in shock. Tangled up in her sheets, she landed with a thud as her ass hit the floor. Not only was the alarm set to her normal weekday wake up time, the volume was at its absolute highest level. It took her a moment to figure out what had happened, but when she did she quickly got up off the floor so she could turn off the offending device.

_How the hell did that happen?_

Bella didn't remember setting her alarm, but she must have. And now as a result she was completely awake at an unacceptable hour on a Saturday. It irritated her to no end. After unsuccessfully trying to go back to bed, she finally got up and began her normal Saturday routine…just a few hours earlier. It started with a cup of hazelnut coffee and a thorough reading of the Saturday paper in her pajamas. Pouring her cup and carrying it to the front door, she opened it to retrieve her paper. Her eyes bulged and her jaw dropped as she took in the sight before her. It made her stop dead in her tracks and almost drop the coffee.

At first she had no idea what they were, but after further scrutiny, the look of realization took over her face.

Forks.

Thousands of them. Little white plastic forks sticking out of every square inch the front yard she had owned for years.

"What the fuck?" The alarm clock and now this? She said as she scanned the yard taking in the sure volume of the offending utensil that littered her property. Eventually her eyes settled on a neon green sign that had been placed strategically in the middle of her front yard. She strained her eyes to read it.

_May the FORK be with you…_

Her eyes widened at the play on words from a favorite movie quote of hers. Someone she knew did this deliberately, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. She ran her hand through her hair, straining her mind to figure it out. When it finally clicked, she let out a loud chuckle. It was April Fool's Day. She still had no idea who had done this but whoever it was had put a lot of thought into it. She quickly scanned in her mind the possible suspects and narrowed it down to a few. Edward would have been her first guess, but as she looked over to his house she noticed that his car still wasn't in the driveway. He had left the day before for an out of town bachelor party and hadn't come home yet. Emmett, perhaps Jake had a hand in this. She continued to contemplate it as she walked around the yard and picked the offending objects out of the ground. It truly was funny and well played. Whoever was responsible was pretty damn clever.

Edward felt satisfied in his tedious work as he watched Bella methodically remove all of the plastic forks from her front yard. Using the key reserved for accidental lock-outs, he had succeeded in waking her up at the ass crack of dawn. And now, not only had he shocked the hell out of her, but as an added bonus he got to watch her sashay around the yard in a bathrobe that was sinfully too short. Every time she bent over for a fork he got a glimpse of that delectable ass that made an appearance in his dreams every night. Yes, it had taken hours in the middle of the night to set that all up, but now every fucking fork was like a Godsend.

He knew that Bella thought he was away and that she would not suspect him, at least in this stunt. But there was more to come, and while he wouldn't be able to witness it first hand, he anticipated that by the time they met up with their friends tonight she would be extremely hot and bothered. At least that was what he was hoping for.

It took her longer than she thought or wanted it to, but with all of the forks disposed of properly in the recyclable bin, Bella returned to her house and continued on with her morning. She read her paper and drank her coffee. Her mind was still trying to figure out who could have pulled that little stunt, but she knew eventually whichever friend was to blame would come forward.

After enjoying her relaxing morning, Bella decided it was time to get ready for her usual ten am Yoga class. There was no point showering before, but the least she could do was wash her face and brush her teeth. She went to her room, got dressed in her yoga attire and then made her way to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she thought she looked okay. She could have used a couple of more hours of sleep but that was neither here nor there at this point. She brushed her hair and put it up in a pony tail, washed her face to get the grime off it, and then began to brush her teeth. It wasn't until about halfway through that she noticed. Her toothpaste was hot, spicy hot.

The combined minty and peppery taste burned the inside of her mouth and she quickly tried to spit out the disgusting taste. It wasn't working as her tongue and mouth burned from the fiery combination.

"Oh my fucking god!" She gasped as she put her mouth under the faucet to catch the cold water. She immediately felt better as the taste become more and more diluted. When she finally regained control, she reached for her toothpaste and squeezed the tube a little. The white paste was entwined with a grainy red powder.

_Fucking chili powder. _

"How the hell…?" She didn't finish the question as she glared at the now criminal tube of toothpaste. Bella wasn't stupid. The alarm clock, the forks, the toothpaste…it was all part of the same person's plan to totally piss her off on this fucking ridiculous day. The question still was who and while she hadn't been too determined to figure it out before, this sealed it. It was only nine-thirty in the morning. What else did this person have in store for her? Edward and Alice were the only ones with keys to her house. Even if they weren't part of it, either one of them could have given the key to anyone on their friends.

She was tired and her mouth was still on fire. Not able to get a hold of Alice, she finally stormed out her front door and got in her car. She needed some fucking yoga to clear her mind. It couldn't come fast enough. Grabbing her keys and a bottle of water to quench the never ending sting in her mouth, she walked out her front door and got in her car.

"Agggghhhhhhhh!" She let out a startled scream when she turned the key in the ignition every fucking gadget came to life all at the same time. The radio was blaring, the air conditioner was set to full blast, and the wipers swept across the front of the windshield at a frantic pace. She quickly turned everything down or off. Once it was all quiet again she tipped her head back and closed her eyes, trying to subdue her anger.

_All in good fun. All in good fun._

She tried chanting the mantra all the way to the gym but was frequently interrupted by the sound of various cars honking their horns at her. After about the tenth time she figured it was probably all part of the joke, but it grated on her nerves and by the time she reached the gym she was ready to kill someone. As soon as she pulled into a parking space she was out of her car in an attempt to validate her suspicions. It didn't take long.

"Motherfucker."

There, taped very delicately to her back bumper was a sign that read "HONK IF YOU LIKE MY REAR END." Fury swept through her veins as she ripped the sign off the car and tore it to shreds. Her hands shook throughout the entire process as she went through all of the things she was going to do to Emmett when she got a hold of him. It had to be him. There wasn't anyone else capable….

Well there was, but she knew it was an impossibility. He was definitely out of town.

When the offensive piece of paper had been sufficiently punished and destroyed, she grabbed her mat out of the trunk and stormed to the gym entrance. She had never needed yoga as much as she did in that moment.

Back at home, Edward had watched Bella as she left her house and got into her car. She always went to yoga on Saturday mornings at ten and Edward made sure to watch for her. It paid off because he could see she was agitated. She licked her teeth and chugged her water bottle, a pure sign that the toothpaste thing had worked. Then he saw her jump in reaction to all of the things he had done to her car. For a moment he felt bad and thought about backing off, but just as quickly he reminded himself exactly why he was doing all of this. As Bella backed out of the driveway, Edward was on the phone.

"It's time."

Within minutes, Jake arrived and they were working together methodically. Edward had enlisted his help weeks before, promising Jake that he would not throw him under the bus when this all went down. Jake had watched Edward and Bella dance around each other for two years. They were a perfect match and while he didn't actually approve of the way he was going about it, he knew that Edward had tried everything and that this was a last resort. When Edward asked for his help, he only hesitated for a second. If Bella ever found out, he was screwed.

Two hours later, Bella arrived back home and grabbed her shit from the car. She made her way up her walkway, finding her house key in the process. When she finally reached the front door, she realized that her key was useless because in front of her was a huge wall of duck tape covering her front entrance

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" She screamed as she pushed on the gray tape. It wasn't budging and she wondered just how thick the wall might be. Sighing, she entered through the garage and got into her house that way. When she got to her front door, she was able to open it, but was met with the other side of the wall of duck tape.

"Fuck that." She mumbled to herself as she retrieved her sharpest pair of scissors form the kitchen. She tried to take it down, she really did. But the scissors did nothing. The wall of duck tape was thick and after over an hour of trying to take it down she finally resorted to calling her friend Jake. She asked him to bring his chainsaw.

Edward focused his binoculars as he watched Jake cut through their two-inch thick duck tape wall. It had taken over fifty rolls, almost two miles of duct tape, to cover the doorway. Every once in a while Jake would look over to his house knowingly, but never even hinted that he had helped Edward put it up. It was a shame their masterpiece was coming down so quickly, but he could tell by the way Bella shoved the pieces into the garbage can that she wanted it gone. It was just more proof that Edward had Bella just where he wanted her. Hot and bothered as hell.

It took Jake almost two hours to cut the duck tape wall. When all traces of it were gone, she invited Jake to stay for lunch. Unfortunately, he had somewhere he needed to be.

"Dad has a doctor's appointment and I really want to hear for myself what he says." Bella got that. Billy was never forthcoming with information after meeting with his cardiologist. It just about drove Jake crazy, not knowing what his father's doctor had recommended. "But I'll see you tonight at Delaney's, right?" The group was getting together that night at their favorite hangout spot.

"Yeah, I'll be there. I have an ass whooping I need to perform."

"Any idea which one it is?"

"My guess is Emmett. This seems like shit he would do." Jake looked at the doorway one more time before answering me.

"You're right about that." Bella thanked Jake for helping her as he headed out the door. "No problem, anytime, Bells." And then he grabbed his chainsaw and made his way to his car. Once his back was turned he finally allowed himself to smile, knowing that Bella had no freaking idea just what was going on. Before he got into his car, he gave a quick salute to Edward who was probably watching him in that very instant. He couldn't see it, but Edward saluted him back, a perfect smirk plastered on his face. He owed his friend, big time.

By the time evening came, Bella thought she was going to lose her damn mind. All day long, the pranks kept coming. Someone had delivered to her house four pizzas, all with mushrooms. Everyone knew she hated mushrooms. She kept getting phone calls in response to an advertisement in the paper. Apparently she was studying massage therapy and was looking for people to practice on. The creepy men, and women, who called her looking for a free massage and possibly more were terribly disappointed when she informed them there had been a big mistake. One guy asked if she would do it anyway and offered to pay _her_.

_Just gross._

She opened her closet only to have about a thousand tennis balls come crashing down all around her. She turned on her kitchen faucet to fill a glass of water and was doused in water by the sprayer. After further inspection once the water was off, she found that someone had wrapped a rubber band around the handle, allowing the water to flow freely without being touched. When she sat down to check her email and discovered that her waterfall wallpaper had been changed to a shirtless close-up of Justin Bieber, she just about lost it.

She was done.

She looked at the clock to see that it was almost time to meet her friends. She made herself presentable, anxious to confront the asshole friend that had tormented her all day. She drove over to Delaney's and quickly found that her friends had already grabbed a table. She strode over to it with one thing on her mind. Alice.

"Bella! You're here!" Her friend called out to her.

_So that's the way you're going to play? Huh, Alice?_

"Who'd you give it to, Alice?" She had the audacity to look at Bella with confusion. "The key. My house key. Which one of these yahoos did you give it to?"

"No one, Bella. I wouldn't do that." The rest of her friends heard the accusation in Bella's voice and saw the anger in her eyes. They immediately began paying attention to what was happening in front of them.

"What makes you think she did, Bella?" Emmett knew exactly why. They all did. Edward had told them all about his plan. He hadn't convinced them that it was a good one, but they also saw Edward and Bella as perfect for each other. They just had to deflect until Edward got there. It wasn't going to be easy. Bella's eyes shifted from Alice to Emmett when she spoke.

"It was you, wasn't it? You're the one who has been torturing me all day with your April Fool's pranks." Emmett could see that Bella was at the end of her rope. Her face was red and her eyes…well let's just say if looks could kill, he'd be dead on the floor. He had to handle this…delicately.

"You know me, Bella. If there is a joke to be pulled, I'm your guy. But I can honestly say it wasn't me. I just got off a double." Bella had forgotten that little fact. Emmett was a State Trooper and seeing the tiredness in his eyes she knew he was speaking the truth. He couldn't have possibly been able to pull off everything that had happened today.

"Then who? Which one of you was it?" Rose, Jasper, Alice, Jake, and Leah all vehemently denied any part.

"Who else has a key to your house, Bella?" Alice asked already knowing the answer to that question. There was only one other.

"Edward…but…but he's been away. He had that bachelor party thing." Her mind went into overdrive, not sure anymore where to direct her anger.

"Uh, no he didn't. The party is next weekend. I've been invited too and we're driving out together." As the words left Emmett's mouth, Bella began to see red. His house had been quiet, too quiet if he had actually been there. And apparently, he had. It all started falling into place. He had the access, the proximity, and the ability to spy on her comings and going. It had to be him. That motherfucker.

"When I get my hands on Edward, I'm gonna…I'm gonna…" The poor girl was so furious she couldn't even speak.

"You're gonna what?" A smooth voice asked from behind her. She looked down at her friends who were all conveniently looking somewhere else. They knew. It was obvious. But at that moment she could have cared less. All of her focus was on the asshole standing behind her.

Slowly she turned around to face him. He looked good, damn good in his low slung jeans and green button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. She could have stared at his sexiness all day, but as soon as her eyes reached his face, she saw the guilty, yet unremorseful smirk. She was fucking pissed, so fucking pissed. She wanted to slap that smirk right off his face, that was for damn sure. But beyond that there was another feeling. She had always been attracted to him, but this, this was new. She had to physically stop herself from attacking his body and begging him to fuck her. It scared her and she didn't know what to do. She had to get out of there.

"I…you…get the fuck out of my way. I'm going home." With that she blasted past him, unable to avoid the delicious smell that was just all him when she pushed by.

Edward was having a field day. He had watched her as she entered the bar and confronted their friends. He waited as long as he could before making himself known. Seeing the rage and the lust in her eyes as they raked over his body confirmed that he was indeed a genius. This is exactly how he wanted it to go. His friends couldn't understand why.

"Dude, I don't think she is going to forgive you for this. I've never seen Bella so pissed. You better go make it right." Everyone at the table nodded and reiterated Emmett's words. He didn't have to be asked twice. It was time to go get his girl.

When he pulled into his driveway, he saw Bella in her front yard, clawing at the For Sale sign he had put up before he left for Delaney's.

_Oh yeah…that…_

He had forgotten about the last couple of follow up pranks he had set up and for a moment thought it might have been overkill. Bella looked like a madwomen as she frantically pulled at the post. Edward got out of his car and jogged up to her. When he got close enough to make her realize that he was there, her reaction pulled him off guard. She lunged at him causing both of them to fall to the ground.

"You put a For Sale sign on my house? My _house_? You fucking asshole! All day long you've tortured me. I never thought it was you because you were supposed to be out of town. And now I find out that you were here the whole time, watching and having a good laugh at my expense." She screamed as she punched and kicked him as hard as she could. Her attempts to hurt him were futile as he was so much bigger and stronger that she, but he let her get out some of her aggression. By the time her adrenaline started to subside, she was straddling his waist and pinning his arms to the ground. He didn't fight her and once she calmed down a little bit she took in the precarious position. Again her body betrayed her. She was supposed to be mad at him, and she was. But the overwhelming desire was stronger and before she knew it, her lips were on his.

Edward had waited for this day for two years and it was even sweeter than he ever imagined. Her mouth molded to his perfectly and when he licked her lip, asking permission to be let in, she granted it without hesitation. He sat them up, she still straddling him, wrapped one hand around her back and pressed her closer to him. Then he slid the other up her neck and into her hair. Her breathless groan confirmed that she liked it and didn't want to stop. Edward was over the moon.

"I knew it, gorgeous." He whispered in between kisses. "I knew you liked me. You just needed a little push." With that statement, Bella halted her movements and broke her lips away from his.

"What do you mean a push?" Edward winced before grinning sheepishly at her knowing he had said the wrong thing. It didn't take long before Bella put two and two together. Within seconds, she was up and off of him taking her heat with her. He felt a slight chill, but even more he felt the painful erection she had left behind.

"You did this…all of this…" She waved her hand in a bit circle. "…to get me to feel something for you? Why the hell would you do that? Was it just to make a fool out of me?" This was not going in a direction Edward had anticipated and he quickly tried to undo the damage.

"No, no, it's not like that at all. I like you, Bella. More that just your neighbor and your friend. I have since the day I moved in and I've tried everything…everything to get your attention. Nothing worked until I noticed that whenever you were angry with me you looked at me differently. In those moments I could almost see what I felt for you in your eyes. So I thought if I got you really mad at me, you would finally act on those feelings."

His words shocked her and she didn't know what to believe. On one hand, that kiss was very real and the erection she felt pressing into her was very real as well. But he had been playing her all day. How did she know that this wasn't a part of all that. That tomorrow she'd be on the end of some merciless teasing by her friends as they all laughed at how Edward had gotten her to admit that she liked him. It would be all in good fun, but she wasn't sure her heart could take it. If she were being honest, Edward was more important to her than she had admitted in the past.

"How can I believe you, Edward? How do I know that this isn't all part of your master plan to get me good and make me a laughing stock?" Tears of frustration sprang to her eyes. She knew now that this is what she had wanted. She wanted Edward to be interested in her. She wanted a chance to build a relationship that was more than just friends. The thought that this was all part of a day of friendly pranks hurt her more than it should.

"Bella, what time is it?"

_What? Why would he want to know the time now?_

"Edward, it's late. I think maybe we should just…" She was about to say that they should just go home and forget it. She wanted to get into the safety of her house but Edward interrupted her.

"Please, Bella. Just humor me. What time is it?" She looked at him for a moment before letting out a huff as she reached into her jacket pocket for her phone. When it came to life, she noted the time.

"It's 12:17. You happy?"

"Very. You know what that means, right?" She shrugged and didn't answer, not having the energy to play anymore games. "It's after midnight. It's April 2nd."

"Yeah, so…" But as she said the words she realized what he was getting at. April Fool's Day was over. It had been for seventeen minutes. It meant that what he said was not part of the prank. That he really wanted to be with her. She lifted her eyes from her phone where they had been since she recited the time for him and saw that he was looking at her. His gaze was warm and hopeful. He had been telling her the truth. "No more pranks? No more jokes?"

Edward took the few steps to close the distance between them. Now that he had had a taste he needed another one. When it appeared that her icy exterior was beginning to melt, he moved in. He reached up, cupped her face, and looked deeply into those beautiful eyes he had fallen in love with. "Does it look like I'm joking?"

Bella gulped. There was nothing funny about the way he looked at her, like he could see right into her soul. "No…no, not anymore."

"Good, because Bella, I've never been so serious about anything…" He took a long look at her pink lips. "…ever." And with that being said he moved in to get that taste of what he was so desperate for. This time he initiated the kiss. This time, Bella wasn't so angry she couldn't think straight. She felt the meaning behind this kiss and welcomed it with all of her heart.

When he finally couldn't go any longer without taking a breath, Edward pulled away from Bella and rested his forehead on hers. She felt like the night was coming to an end, but she didn't want it to. Before he had a chance to speak, Bella blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"Do you want to come in?" Bella felt shy and awkward all of a sudden. The fear of being rejected was irrational, but very real. Edward furrowed his brow for a second and Bella thought that maybe she had been too forward. Her eyes went immediately to the ground, willing them not to fill up with tears.

"That sounds…nice. I have a bottle of that Pinot you like in my house. I can go get it…if you want." The unexpected answer made Bella lift her eyes and she could see that Edward seemed just as nervous as her. She felt the need to make him feel comfortable, even if she wasn't entirely comfortable herself.

"That sounds great. I'm going to get changed. How about you go get it and then come on over." Edward's smile filled his entire face. He reached in and gave Bella a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you in a few, gorgeous." His term of endearment made her flush as she watched him head for his house. She didn't know exactly what was going to happen. Part of her said this was moving too fast, the other part arguing that this has been two years in the making. She decided in the end to just enjoy it and see what happened naturally. She turned towards hers and remembered that she had left her front door key at home, opting for her smaller keychain that she took when she went out. She chuckled as she remembered the duct tape wall and opened the door to the garage so she could cut through. She was at last admitting to herself now that it was over, that the joke itself had been pretty clever. But her thoughts were cut off as something hit her on the top of her head and she was covered in a foreign liquid.

"AAAAGGGGGHHHHH! Edward!"

Edward heard her scream and for a moment was frightened that Bella was hurt. But then he realized…

_Oh shit…_

He raced to her garage door and flipped on the light switch located just inside. There was Bella, covered in a gallon of Hershey's chocolate syrup. With everything that had happened, he completely forgot that in addition to the For Sale sign, he had also rigged a bucket of the delicious, yet messy and sticky substance above her door.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Bella. I totally forgot..."

She cut him off. "You…you…you did this!" Furious Bella was back and Edward was pretty sure he had ruined the night.

"I didn't mean…I mean…I'm just so sorry." He thought he heard her mutter 'you're going to be' under her breath but couldn't be sure.

Bella walked to the door that led to her kitchen and tried to grab the handle without getting chocolate on anything. "I'm going to take a shower. And you have a mess to clean up."

Edward sighed as he bent down to pick up the bucket. He didn't know how he was going to get the chocolate all off the floor and the walls, but he figured he had some products at his house that could do the job. He turned to go get them when her sharp voice stopped him.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to get some stuff to clean up the mess…like you said." She rolled her eyes at him and he was extremely confused.

"I didn't mean _that _mess." She waved her hand in the general area of the spilled chocolate. "I meant _this_ mess." And she moved her hand in front of her gesturing the massive amounts of chocolate on her clothes, skin, and hair. There was annoyance and fire in her eyes, but something else as well.

Want.

The familiar electricity crackled around them as the pull to be closer to each other got stronger and stronger. Bella watched the light bulb go off in Edward's head as he formed a silent 'o' with his lips.

He got it.

But apparently he didn't move quickly enough. "Move!" Bella shouted which put Edward into sudden action. He hurried so that he was right in front of her and completed the task of opening the door. Before he went inside, he took his finger, used it to swipe some chocolate off her neck, and put it in his mouth so he could suck it off. He saw Bella' eyes grow dark and heavy. He had her right where he wanted. All hot and bothered. He winked at her knowingly.

"I'm going to make it up to you, gorgeous." Taking her hand he pulled her into the house intending on doing just that.

Bella giggled at what she hoped was about to happen and Edward exhaled, secretly relieved that she wasn't really mad at him.

Little did he know, she was already thinking of ways to get him back…next year.

**Thank you for reading!**


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